Betaread and final touches done by The Patient One!

Chapter 17. An Oath Made on the White Blade

Luffy's gaze drifted to the side and he perked up as he noticed a familiar man in gray and green, kneeling on the floor. "Hey, Gin!" he greeted him cheerfully. "Nice to see you again! Did you meet your captain already?"

Gin stared at his goofy grin, completely stumped. "Yes," he replied slowly. "You just kicked him."

Luffy glanced at the figure, slumped at the base of the staircase, then rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Oops."

A sheer silence settled on the restaurant as everyone gawked at the straw-hatted boy in a complete disbelief, while he surveyed his surroundings with a distinct lack of nervousness.

Luffy narrowed his eyes at Gin, noticing how he held his right shoulder as if it had been hurt. Then he looked around the room, taking in the Baratie staff's positions and the abandoned tables with spilled drinks and unfinished food. Finally, his gaze stopped on Sanji, who was sitting on the floor with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

The man Luffy kicked suddenly roared in pure fury, climbing to his feet and sneering at the young pirates. "You'll pay for that with your life! I'm the fleet admiral of fifty pirate ships and the commander of five thousand men! The only one worthy of the title 'Don'!" he yelled, his voice booming throughout the whole restaurant. "You damn worms think you can defy me?! I'm the strongest!"

Krieg ripped his own shirt off, revealing the gold colored armor underneath it. His sneer transformed into an evil smile. "Now, die," he snarled at the black-haired youth in front of him, laughing madly as he drew twin double-barreled pistols, and his armor's shoulder-plates and waist compartments opened to display more guns.

Nami and Usopp yelped and scurried to one side while Zoro ducked to another, grabbing Gin by his jacket collar and dragging him out of harm's way. Luffy, however, didn't move from his spot. As the sound of the first shots echoed in the air, he closed his eyes.

When Krieg finally stopped shooting, the walls, the floor, and even the ceiling were riddled with bullets, causing a cloud of dust to cover the restaurant's entrance. The man laughed maniacally. "That's what you get for going against me!" he spat out, smirking contently.

"Luffy…" Usopp whispered, horrified.

Nami's hand flew to her mouth as she stared at the dust cloud with wide eyes. Zoro glared at the enemy captain. He gripped the hilt of his white katana and slowly drew it out.

"Whew, so much dust!" a cheerful voice came from behind Don Krieg, startling everyone. They whipped their heads and blinked in shock at the straw-hatted boy standing there without a scratch, a wide grin on his face. "You missed."

"Luffy!" Nami and Usopp exclaimed, relief washing over them, and Zoro simply smirked, sheathing his katana.

"Don't get cocky because you dodged one attack! I've won every single battle I've been in!" Krieg shouted into the younger captain's face. "This body of steel, tougher than anyone else's! This steel armor—" Luffy rolled his eyes. "—more powerful than that of anyone! My entire body-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You really like to talk," the rubber boy interrupted all of a sudden. "So, tell me, was it you who hurt Gin?"

"He dared to question my actions! No one is allowed to—"

Luffy cut the older man off again with another question, "You attacked my cook, too?"

"Oi!" Sanji protested. "I'm not your cook!"

Krieg bellowed with laughter. "Yeah, it was me! And what are you gonna do, boy, eh?!"

The teen pursed his lips into a thin line, his obsidian eyes burning with fury. Without any warning, he swung his fist straight into the older pirate's mug, sending him sprawling back at the entrance where he originally had been standing. "I'm gonna kick your ass," Luffy deadpanned before smiling smugly. "Oh, wait. I already did that a few minutes ago."

All the people around them snorted, trying to hold their laughter in. Some of them chuckled, remembering Krieg suddenly flying across the restaurant.

"I guess I'll have to settle on beating you into a bloody pulp," Luffy announced, cracking his knuckles.

Krieg heaved himself from the floor and bared his teeth at the kid. But before he could say anything, a huge bag was put in front of him.

"Owner Zeff!" the Baratie staff gasped.

"There's enough food here for a hundred people," an old man with a toque as tall as he was said calmly. "So, hurry up and bring it to your men."

The pirate captain's eyes grew wide. "Did… Did they just say 'Zeff'?"

Luffy frowned. "Oi, cook-ossan, if he goes to feed his crew, I won't be able to fight him," he complained, ignoring the other cooks yelling their discontent with giving food for pirates.

Zeff looked at him. "I can't ignore one hundred starving people. Pirates or not."

Luffy tilted his head, then nodded. "Good point," he agreed. "I'll wait then." He made his way to one of the tables and sat down, pulling a plate of soup towards himself.

Don Krieg still gawked at the Baratie owner. "Y-You're Red-Leg Zeff!" he stammered out. "So you were alive… The peerless captain and cook of his own pirate crew, Red-Leg Zeff."

"So what if I'm alive?" Zeff countered.

"Eh, cook-ossan was a pirate…?" mumbled the straw-hatted teen around a mouthful of the steak he'd grabbed from the nearby table.

Zoro plopped down next to his captain, drinking from a sake bottle he lifted from one of the abandoned tables. Nami and Usopp came around the room, avoiding the enemy pirate that was too busy with his monologuing to notice them.

"Luffy, what are you doing?" Nami asked, confused.

"Waiting," the teen answered. "Eating," he added, stretching his hand to snatch another plate from another table. "Eating while waiting," he finally stated, stuffing food into his mouth.

"Oh, free food!" Usopp cheered, joining his crewmates at the table.

The navigator sighed, looking at the younger boy. "Can you beat him?"

Luffy shot her a quick glimpse, then continued his meal. "That Kidney guy?"

"Krieg," Nami corrected.

"Yeah, no problem. Oi, Usopp, that was mine!"

"Not anymore!"

Nami glanced at Don Krieg worriedly. The pirate was still engrossed in his conversation with Zeff, though the words from her companions made it hard to hear anything from them.

"You jerk! Take that!" Luffy exclaimed and a moment later burst into laughter.

"Geh!" the long-nosed teen yelped. "Now you made the great captain Usopp angry! Take it back!"

Zoro growled menacingly. "Usopp…!"

"Sorry, Zoro!" the sharpshooter squeezed out between the fits of laughter. "Nooo! Don't throw it at me again!"

As it became clear that the head chef and pirate's exchange wouldn't be erupting into a fight, Nami turned back to her crew. "Guys, what are you–" A sticky octopus suddenly smashed into her face. The laughter stopped. She stood still for a second, easing her anger down, then lifted her hand and slowly ripped the octopus off, at the same time wondering where the heck they even got the thing from. The navigator glared at the boys who observed her intently.

"It was him," Luffy and Usopp both stated in unison, pointing fingers at the swordsman.

"You started it!" Zoro bristled, pointing his own finger at Luffy.

"But Usopp continued it!"

The sharpshooter shook his finger at his green-haired nakama. "It was you who threw the octopus at Nami."

"Usopp is right. You're still at fault, Zoro," the captain agreed.

The swordsman scowled. "Oi!"

Sanji stepped closer, all the fuss finally drawing his attention. "Stop playing with food, you dipshits," he warned aggressively, but once he turned to Nami all the hostility melted away and the blonde kneeled on one knee. "Oh, my fair lady, let me take it off your lovely hands~!"

The navigator facepalmed. "Idiots…"

"Silence, you numbskulls!" Zeff hollered out at his staff, snapping everyone's attention at him.

The pirates (and thief) only now noticed that Krieg was gone. Luffy's gaze shifted to Gin, who was still seated on the floor where Zoro had left him. The man was trembling with his head bowed.

"Have any of you ever been hungry enough to die?" Zeff continued angrily. "Do any of you know just how terrifying and painful it is to be stuck on this ocean, deprived of food and water?"

Sanji quietly lit up a new cigarette and blew out a puff of smoke, his eyes locked on the ceiling.

Luffy scrunched his face like he tasted something very sour. A nasty feeling churned in the bottom of his stomach, and he pushed away a full plate he'd just collected, suddenly not so hungry anymore. Zoro was the only one to see it, and he said nothing.

"W-what do you mean, owner?" asked one of the cooks.

"The difference between all of you and Sanji is that he knows that feeling."

Luffy glanced at the blonde chef, then heaved a heavy sigh. "I just want to beat that guy," the rubber man declared nonchalantly, motioning at the door where Krieg disappeared. "He annoys me."

"Are you insane?!" Gin cried out, desperation seeping from his voice. "Haven't you realized how strong the Don is?! You all need to run away while you still can!"

The straw-hatted pirate cocked his head to the side. "Why are you so worried about us, Gin?" he inquired after a moment, peering straight into the older man's eyes.

The latter lowered his head, unable to withstand that soul-piercing stare.

Luffy smiled. "As I've said, you're a good guy," he stated. "Remember what I'd told you back on my ship?" The teen paused, allowing the man a moment to recall his words. When Gin's eyes suddenly widened, Luffy smirked darkly. "I have a lot of complaints about your captain now. Besides, he attacked my nakama, and I won't let that slide."

Sanji clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You're talking about me again, aren't you?"

The young captain simply shot him an innocent smile.

"But the kid is right," the blonde concurred. "Feeding the hungry is what being a cook is all about. However, the ones who're coming to attack this ship are those who've already been fed." Sanji fixed Gin with a menacing glare. "If someone is planning to take over this restaurant, then I'll kill that person without a second thought. Got that?"

Gin gulped nervously. He stared at the cooks, seeing determination and stubbornness burning fiercely in their eyes.

"Shishishishi…" Luffy chuckled quietly. "Our cook is so cool, right?" he said to Usopp, a perfectly D-shaped grin plastered on his face.

"Who cares about him now?!" the sniper snapped. "Are you really gonna fight Don Krieg?!"

"Yep!"

"Can you at least think a bit before replying?!" Usopp pleaded, eliciting a joyful laughter from his captain.

"I'm actually wondering about the man who defeated Krieg's whole fleet," Nami said. "Can you tell us anything, Gin?"

The man paled just from hearing that question. His eyes were cast down as he spoke, "He just appeared out of nowhere… Our ships sank one by one… And if it weren't for that storm that whisked us away, even our main ship would have sunk. I don't even want to think about what happened… How could our entire fleet be defeated by a single man?!" Gin cried out before his shoulders hunched up and he folded his arms tightly around his body. "That man… His stare pierces through you, like the eyes of a hawk!"

"What?!" Zoro abruptly jumped from his seat. "The man with hawk eyes?"

Luffy looked at his swordsman. "You know him?"

"He's the man I've been looking for…" Zoro exhaled, sitting down again. Luffy hummed in understanding, keeping his gaze on him.

"Maybe he had some kind of grudge to settle with you guys," Sanji wondered.

"I don't remember anything like that!" Gin denied.

Zeff suddenly let out a short amused laugh. "Perhaps you disturbed his afternoon nap…" he suggested, smirking under his long braided moustaches.

"Bullshit!" the pirate screamed. "You mean to tell me he destroyed our entire fleet for that?!"

Luffy giggled. "I heard that stuff like that happens at the Grand Line. I'm so excited!" A huge grin split his face in two, his eyes closed in bliss as he rocked himself to the side. "Ah! Can't wait to finally go there!"

Usopp scowled before reprimanding, "Can't you be more concerned about our safety?!"

A predatory smirk appeared on Zoro's face. "Now, I've no qualms going to the Grand Line." His fingers curled around his white katana hilt. "Knowing that 'that man' is there as well!"

Loud cheers exploded somewhere outside, and most people inside cringed. Usopp turned to the straw-hatted boy and whined in a pleading tone, "Luffy~…"

Luffy ignored him, though, instead was staring into the side wall with a serious expression on his face. He knitted his brow into a frown as he glanced at Zoro.

"Are you morons?" Sanji jibed. "You must be those who rush to their deaths."

"You might be right, but it's none of your business," the swordsman replied coolly, fixing the blond chef with a steady and determined stare. "Ever since I decided to become the world's greatest swordsman, I threw away my attachment to life. I'm the only one who can say that I'm the idiot."

"To fulfill a dream requires some sacrifices," Luffy said as he stood up. "If you're not planning to lift even a finger to achieve it, you might as well stop dreaming." He shot a pointed look at Sanji who gritted his teeth. "But to stop dreaming is the same as to acknowledge a defeat against this world. At least I'll never do that." Luffy flashed a quick confident smile, walking past the blonde and towards the entrance of the restaurant. "I'll become the Pirate King, or I'll die trying. Death is nothing. I'm familiar with worse things than that."

The rubber boy exited the room without a second glance, leaving his words hanging in the air. The way he said it, in a calm and dauntless tone, unwavered by the gravity of those words' meaning, left no place to doubt him. The young pirate's deep conviction settled as a heavy weight on everyone's shoulders.

Sanji balled his fists tight, Luffy's words cutting painfully into his heart. Zeff observed him before a small smile crossed his lips.

Usopp stood up, shaking and sweating profusely. "I-I-I also d-d-don't—"

"Liar," Zoro deadpanned. He lifted himself up from the chair and strolled to the exit.

"Oi! I haven't even said it yet!" the long-nosed teen fumed, trailing after the swordsman.

Nami watched them go, suddenly feeling like she didn't belong here with these people. She wasn't worthy to be their nakama because she gave up her dream a long time ago.

The thief hugged herself. It was time. Nami had to leave, even though she really didn't want to.

As Zoro crossed the threshold, his eyes immediately landed on his captain, standing to the right and staring intently at the distance. But what surprised the swordsman mostly was that the kid had his metal Bo staff assembled and was gripping it so tight that his knuckles went white.

"Luffy?" Usopp called. It was the first time the sharpshooter saw the rubber boy with a weapon. "Are you worried about Krieg?"

"I'm not worried about that idiot and his goons." Luffy pointed at the distance, not lowering his eyes from it. "I'm worried about him."

Both swordsman and sniper followed the direction and squinted at the small boat. When it drew closer, they were able to make out a tall figure with a wide-brimmed black hat decorated with a large plume, and a long, open black coat. Zoro eyes widened as the man pulled a huge black sword from behind his back, swiftly swung it two times and gracefully put it back into its place.

Luffy and Zoro looked at Krieg's galleon ship, while Usopp blinked confused. "Wha… What happened? What did he do?"

The marksman's answer came when Krieg's galleon creaked painfully, and then suddenly separated into three pieces, water rushing between two clean cuts. A huge wave lifted the restaurant ship and almost toppled it over.

"Gyaaaaaaah!" Usopp screamed at the top of his lungs as he lost his footing and was thrown into the air. A rubbery appendage wrapped around him, yanking him back onto the ship. Luffy and Zoro had their arms hooked around the railings until the waves finally subsided.

Urgent shouts echoed from the inside of the Baratie, its owner barking orders for his staff. More panicked yells rang in the galleon's wreckage, its captain's voice the loudest of them all.

"Merry!" Usopp shrieked. "What about Merry?!"

"Nami, Johnny, and Yosaku are taking care of Merry," Luffy replied, his sharp gaze fixed on the stranger in the boat.

The swordsman gripped the railings. "Luffy, is that…?"

The straw-hatted boy glanced at him. "My guess is, yeah. He probably followed Krieg all the way from the Grand Line." He noticed how tense Zoro was, twitching with anticipation and almost smiling. Smiling as if something good was about to happen. His usually composed presence was in a complete turmoil, as though someone suddenly shook the very foundation of the man's existence.

By that moment, the strange, coffin-shaped raft with two green-flamed candles drifted even closer and everyone else also saw the man in it. The cooks were crowding the entrance, staring wide-eyed at the destroyed galleon.

"It's him!" someone from the Krieg's crew screamed. "The one who destroyed our fleet!"

"'Hawk-Eye' Mihawk," Zeff announced, folding his arms in front of him and casually leaning against the wall. "A swordsman above all of the world's swordsmen."

"Zoro," Luffy called. After it fell on deaf ears, he frowned and coldly declared, "You won't win."

That got his swordsman's attention. His head snapped at the captain, an angry expression crossing his features. "Are you saying that I'm that weak?!"

"No," the rubber boy denied, not fazed by the sudden aggression. "I'm saying that he's that much stronger."

Zoro scowled. He observed Mihawk deflecting bullets with a tilt of his sword, fascinated by the grace of such a simple action. "I'm still gonna fight him," he stated.

"Of course. I'm not stopping you," Luffy replied. "But you're not allowed to die."

The green-haired man grinned. "Aye, aye, captain!" He jumped over the railing to the floating platform which previously was a deck of the greatest Krieg's ship. "I've never seen such graceful skill," he said to the world's greatest swordsman.

"A sword without grace is not a powerful one," Mihawk responded.

Johnny and Yosaku came running from the other side of the Baratie ship.

"The ship almost capsized!" Johnny yelled.

"Good thing that Nami-aneki came!" Yosaku added.

"What the heck happened?!" they shouted the question together.

Usopp pointed at the man who right then stepped from his raft and scrutinized the younger swordsman standing in front of him. "That guy cut Krieg's galleon," the long-nosed teen explained.

"WHAT?!" bounty hunters yelled.

"Is Merry okay?" Luffy asked, not removing his eyes from the two swordsmen.

"Merry is fine now," came an answer from Nami as she walked over her captain and stopped by his side. She eyed the Bo staff in Luffy's hand, noticing how his fingers seeming to sink into cold metal, his stiff shoulders and blank, emotionless expression on his usually bright face. The thief frowned. Luffy might have seemed calm, but she guessed that under that unperturbed demeanor raged a real emotional storm.

"It comes from my ambition and a promise to a friend!" Zoro proclaimed loudly, drawing all attention back to him. He had all his three swords out, and his black bandana was tied around his head.

"No one can win against aniki!" Yosaku exclaimed proudly, to which Johnny added, "Aniki's the best!"

"Zoro won't win," Luffy deadpanned.

"What did you say?!"

"You're calling aniki weak?!"

Bounty hunters stomped towards him. "We'll show you how to call aniki weak!"

"Whoa, guys, wait!" Usopp tried to stop them, but he was pushed aside.

When the duo was only a step from Luffy and reached to grab him, the straw-hatted teen suddenly snarled, "Do not touch me." He didn't even turn to face them, but the tone of his voice made two men freeze.

A short distance away, Mihawk stared at his challenger with half-lidded eyes, a small knife in his hand. "Do you really believe that you can win?"

Zoro was silent for a moment. "Probably not," he admitted, recalling his captain's words. "But my ambition would be worth nothing if I didn't even try."

The world's greatest swordsman paused. A satisfied smirk slowly crept on his lips. "Indeed," he said slowly, his sharp yellow eyes now looking differently at his challenger. "Whenever you're ready, youngster."

Zoro shot forward, his three swords gleaming in the sun. Luffy tightened his grip on the Bo staff when Mihawk easily stopped his attack with that tiny knife.

He was used to simply stand on the sidelines and watch people fight and kill each other, forced to do so numerous times. After a while, it didn't bother him anymore, and Luffy seized the opportunity to study those fights. There were no friends in that place. Friendship was only a forgotten word, only uttered in the middle of the night to comfort oneself. Every person learned the hard way what it meant to get attached to another. They always used it against them, so everyone avoided it.

This fight was different. Zoro was his nakama. Luffy couldn't just coldly calculate their next moves if he wanted to keep his mind, though, was doing exactly that by sheer habit. His heart was beating madly in his ribcage, and almost stopped as the knife sunk into Zoro's chest. The boy couldn't hear what words passed their lips as they'd spoken too quietly, but something shifted in Mihawk's presence. A respect that was just a small spark till now flared, pushing hostility and scorn away.

"Kid, tell me your name," Mihawk requested as he pulled out the knife from his opponent's chest.

Zoro held his swords in front of him. "Roronoa Zoro."

"I shall remember it, for the strength of your will is not often seen in this world," the man commented, reaching behind him for his huge sword. "And to pay my respect to you as a fellow swordsman, I shall end this duel with my Black Sword, the world's most powerful sword."

The clash between two swordsmen was quick, just a mere blink of an eye. Everyone held their breath as both warriors stood still. There was a crack, and Zoro swords in his hands shattered, pieces clattering sharply on the wood in the deathly silence. Blood spattered from a new gash on his chest.

Luffy's free hand gripped the railing to keep himself in place. Said railing fractured under the inhuman pressure of his fingers when Zoro turned around after sheathing his surviving white katana, and for a brief moment their eyes met—the boy could clearly see an apology written in those silver orbs.

Zoro held up his arms and showed a lopsided grin to the startled Mihawk. "A wound on the back is the swordsman's shame," he said with conviction.

"Splendid!" the man praised with a smile before bringing his sword down.

Luffy didn't move. There was no real murderous intent in Mihawk's action, he knew that he left Zoro alive and the promise to his swordsman not to interfere kept him in place. Although all his being wanted nothing more but to rip out the throat of the man who hurt his nakama.

When Zoro fell into the sea, his treasured sword slipping from his fingers and rolling abandoned on the platform, something inside Luffy exploded before he could take control of his emotions.

"Aniki!" Johnny and Yosaku dived into the water after the fallen swordsman.

As a slight chill suddenly settled in the area, Nami's and Usopp's eyes opened impossibly wide and they instinctually took a step away from their captain. Zeff and Sanji whipped their heads to stare at the boy, surprise and confusion on their faces. The other cooks and pirates were looking around aimlessly, baffled by why they felt so intimidated for no apparent reason.

Mihawk's hand flew to his sword's handle once more when a power wave slammed into his psyche. He instantly swiveled around and zeroed on the assailant – a seemingly unexceptional kid with a straw hat. A very familiar straw hat. Mihawk smirked in amusement. "A friend of the young swordsman, I presume?"

Luffy's glare only intensified. He vanished from his spot and reappeared a few meters in front of the world's greatest swordsman.

The crowd around them let out a surprised gasp, but Mihawk simply eyed him up and down in an open interest. "Fear not, your friend is still alive," he said.

"I know," the straw-hatted pirate replied. "That doesn't change the fact that you'd hurt my nakama."

At that moment, two bounty hunters emerged from the sea with Zoro propped on their shoulders.

Mihawk cocked his eyebrow up. "So, you want to avenge him?"

Luffy tilted his head and thought for a moment. "No," he said at last, a small smirk tugging the edges of his mouth. "Your head belongs to my swordsman. It's his to take. I'm here for his katana."

Hawk-Eye couldn't stop the pleased grin as he scooped Zoro's blade from the ground. "Well said." He faced the restaurant where the two bounty hunters, Usopp, and Nami pulled their wounded friend out of the sea and now fussed around him. "It's much too early for you to die, young one. My name is Dracule Mihawk!" he exclaimed. "Find your true self, your true worth, become stronger! No matter how long it will take, I shall stand at the top of the world and wait for you! Forge ahead with that fierce conviction and surpass my sword! Surpass me, Roronoa Zoro!"

Luffy sighed in relief at the feeling of Zoro's presence fluttering in excitement. Mihawk extended the katana to him and he reached out to take it.

"Boy, what do you aim for?"

"The crown of the Pirate King," he replied without skipping a beat.

"A difficult path, indeed. Even more so than surpassing me."

Luffy flashed a confident grin, fixing his straw hat more firmly on his head. "I'm gonna do it anyways," he said before vanishing again and reappearing next to his fallen nakama.

Zoro hand flew up and grabbed the end of his katana. "L-Luffy…" he croaked out. "Sorry for worrying you… I… I know that if I don't become… the world's strongest swordsman, I… don't deserve to be your crewmember."

Luffy furrowed his brow at those words, keeping steady eye contact with the man on the floor. Tears appeared in Zoro's eyes and he tightened his grasp on the sword. "I'll… I'll never lose again!" he shouted all of a sudden. "Until the day I fight him and win… I swear to never lose again! Any problems with that, Pirate King?!"

"Shishishishi," the rubber boy snickered. "Nope! No complaints." He took off his straw hat, squatted down and put it on Zoro's head, hiding the tears still streaming freely down his face in its shadow. Luffy had to pry the swordsman's fingers off of the blade's sheath with how hard they held it, but he extracted the sword and placed it next to its master. "Now, rest and heal, Zoro. Captain's orders."

Nami let out a long, relieved sigh. "Idiots, stop worrying me so much," she whispered.

Usopp sagged on the floor like his limbs suddenly became jelly while Johnny and Yosaku sobbed uncontrollably, at the same time tending to their aniki's wound.

A sound of gunshots startled Luffy. He jumped to his feet, immediately scanning the surroundings for an imminent threat.

Mihawk had disappeared in a whirlwind, raft and all, as though he were never even there.

"Hmph, gone already..." Don Krieg grunted before erupting into laughter. "Hahahahaha! What a coward!"

Luffy snorted. "Ne, cook-ossan," he called. "They've already eaten, can I beat that fool now?"

Zeff smiled. "Do as you wish."

Next Chapter: Choosing One's Path

A/N

Have you noticed how much Krieg talks? Like, oh my gosh, he never shuts up!